Door-operating apparatus



J. E. W. FOGAL AND C. L. FULGHUM.

DOOR OPERATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1919.

2 S HEETSSHEET l.

WITNESSES I GLFZdg/zu By A TTOR/VEYS J. E. W. FOGAL AND C. L. FULGHUM.

Patented 0011.17, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTORSI J E W1 A TTORNEY5 Patehted' Oct. 17, 1922 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. W. FOGAL AND CLhA-UD L. FULGH'UM, OF QUINCY, ILLINOIS.

DOOR-OPERATING APPARATUS.

Application filed November 7, 1919. Serial No. 336,274.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, JOHN E. W. FOGAL and CLAUn L. FULGHUM, bothcitizens of the United States, and residents of Quincy, county of Adams,and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Door-OperatingApparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to doors for buildings, and especially to dooroperating apparatus. More particularly the invention relates toelectrically operated door control means.

A purpose of the invention is to provide electrically operated doorcontrol means which has a plurality of remote switches or buttons placedat different points of convenience and advantage throughout a buildingin order to open and close the doors of sai building.

It is a purpose to rovide a door operating device capable 0 handling alltypes of doors, such as folding doors, sliding doors, lifting doors, andin fact any type of closures usually found in buildings. A feature is toprovide a control means which will make for the convenience in operatinggarages, shops, stables, and other buildings where considerable trafficpasses in and out.

It is a particular object of this invention to provide a well designeddoor closing and opening means which will eliminate all possibility ofslamming the doors when said doors approach the maximum opened or closedposition.

With the above principal objects, and others, in view, the invention hasrelation to a certain mechanism used in combination with doors, anexample of which is. described in the following specification, pointedout in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective-view of the operating mechanism shown inconnection with a pair of double doors. I

Figure 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a side elevation ofa portion of the door operating andclosing mechanism,

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of the drum shown in Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a face view of the drum, and .Figure 6 is a diagrammaticalview of a simple circuit arrangement for effecting the automaticstopping of the door opening and closing mechanism.

In constructing a door operating device accordingto the present plans ofmy invention, we employ a reversible motor adapted to run a cable drumin either direction. Cables are carried on the drum and connected to thedoors so that the doors will be opened and closed under the control ofthe motor. Electrical switches are used to open and close the motorcircuit when the doors reach a maximum closed or opened position.

' Referring now more in .particular'to the drawings, the numeral 7designates a reversible, or two-direction electric motor of any ordinarytype provided with a drive shaft 8. The drive shaft is fitted with avThe worm wheel 10 is mounted on a shaft 12, and upon the shaft 12 isfixed a drum 13.

The shaft 12 with the drum is adapted to undergo rotation in eitherdirection under the power of the motor 7. A compensating beam 14 iscarried on the outer end of the shaft 12, which rotates therein. Thecompensating beam is adapted to rock-about the shaft 12 as a center, anda buffer cushion or spring 15 is disposed between the compensating beamand base upon which the mechanismis mounted. A bufier cushion, asmentioned, is employed at each end of the compensating beam and acts toneutralize and approximately maintain the beam in a horizontal osition.Each end of the compensating eam is provided with a rotating cablesheave 16.

Switch devices are employed for breaking the electric circuit when anabnormal strain comes on the operating cables to protect the motor andto prevent other damage to the apparatus. These switches are shown indiagrammatical form in the drawings, and comprise blocks 17 each fittedwith a contact run. A switch operating cam 22 is fixed to thecompensating beam, 'and when the compensating beam rocks about the shaft12,

against the resistive compression of one of the buffer springs, due toabnormal strain on the cables connected to the door, the end of thebeam, on the side where the strain comes, descending, and the other endrising and taking up the slack cable on the oppo- "site end. "When thecam 22 reaches the circuit breaker, the latter operates as stated. Aswitch operating cam and switch device as described, is provided uponeach end 0 the compensating beam so that the electrical circuit isopened each time the compensating beam rocks downwardly, either from oneside or the other.

A cable is wrapped upon the drum 13 with each end of the cable passedover direction sheaves and connected with doors to be opened and closed.The reference 24 indicates the cable which extends from the drum overthe sheaves 16. This cable passes over a guide sheave or pulley 26. Thecable 24 also passes over additional guide pulleys 28, 29 and 30, whencethe cable returns to the drum 13 over the pulley 16 carried upon theother end of the compensating beam. Thus the drum 13 is included in acomplete and endless circuit of cable. When the drum revolves one way,the cable travels in one directioin over the sheaves, and when the drumis reversed, the cable reverses, movin in the opposite direction throughthe severa guide pulleys.

The doors to be controlled are designated 32 and 33. Each door isprovided with a swing bar 34 pivoted at 35 on said door. Each swing baris restricted in movement by a guide 36. The upper'end of each swing baris reduced in size and fitted with acable attachment block 38. Thisattachment block may be readily removed and replaced upon the reducedend of the swing bar. In case the doors require manual opening andclosing, the attachment blocks 38 will be removed from the swing bar,which frees the door from the control cable. Each attachment block 38 isclamped or fixed to the cable. Tension springs 39 have one end thereoffixed to the door with the other end attached to the swing bar. The srings 39 normally limit each swing bar to a 'orwardly restrictedposition within the guide.

It is understood that a number of control buttons are remotely locatedfrom the apparatus. The apparatus disclosed'in the draw ings, and anyapproved form of reversible electric motor, may be installed on aplatform above the door, or in any other appropriate position. Electriccontrol circuits are connected with the motor and provided with remotecontrol buttons located at any desired point within the building orgarage equipped with this door control device. It may be desirable toemploy a double set of buttons at each point of control so that thedoors may be opened by pressing one button, and may be closed bypressing the other button.

In the operation of the system, the electri motor is set in operationwhen any one of the control buttons is, pressed to close the circuit.The motor drives the drum and the drum takes in or lets out on thecable, dependent upon which direction the motor is turning. In Fi thedirection 0 the cable movement and show the door closed. To open thedoors, the electric motor 7 would be run in the o posite direction,which would wind the cab e 24 upon the drum 13 in a direction oppositeto that shown by the arrows in Figure 1. This would cause the cable 24to exert an outward pull upon each swing bar 34 and thus open the doors.

The spring 39 provides a flexible connection between the cable and thedoors, and in case any obstacle is in" the path of the swinging door,the spring 39 will yield and prevent breakage the control system.

After the doors have reached their maxi- .mum closed or opened position,it becomes necessary to automatically cut off the motor circuit and thusstop the movement of the cable.

In Figure 6 we have shown a circuit arrangement, by means of which themotor may be stopped automatically, and started b a remote controlbutton. It will be un erstood that this circuit arrangement is merelyfor the sake of illustration of the automatic stopping of the mechanismat the end of the opening or closing operation. In practice it would bedesirable to employ other electrical circuits, but since these circuitsform no part of the invention, we have illustrated the operation bymeans of the simple circuit shown in Figure 6. In this fi ure, the motor7 may be energized from the cad wire 45 through the normally closedcontacts 40 and 43 and by a return wire 46 to the lead 47. The motorwill thereupon cause the swinging of the doors in the manner stateduntil they engage one of these circuit 0 ening devices 40 or 43,depending upon wliich way the doors are moving. If, for instance thedoors are being opened, the circuit will re 1 the arrows indicate bebroken at the contacts 40, when the door 7 has reached its openedposition by any suitable means, as by providing a lug 41 (see Figure 2)which will engage one of the spring contacts at 40 to open the circuit,

the motor is energized to move the door away from the contacts (such as40), thereupon permitting the latter to close the circuit through themotor, after which the control button is released. When the door reachesits closed position, the contacts at 43 may be broken, as, for instance,the lug 42 (see Figure 1) which engages one of the spring contacts tobreak the circuit.

The description of the electric circuit, as given above, is, as stated,merely typical of one of many that might be used in connection with ourimproved form of door opening and closing apparatus.

We claim:

1. A door controlling system comprising an endless cable, doorsconnected with the cable and adapted to be'opened thereby during themovement of the cable in one direction, and to be closed during themovement of the cable in the opposite direction, an electric motor' foroperating the cable, normally stationary means connected with the cableand adapted to be moved when an abnormal strain comes on the cable, anda circuit breaker actuated by the movement of said means for cutting offthe circuit of the motor.

2. A door controlling system comprising an endless cable, doorsconnected with the cable and adapted to be opened thereby during themovement of the cable in one direction, and be closed during themovement of the cable in the opposite direction, an electric motor foroperating the cable, and means for cutting off the circuit of the motorwhen an abnormal strain comes on the cable, said last named meanscomprising a compensating beam connected with the cable, a circuitbreaker, and means carried by the compensating beam for actuating thecircuit breaker when the compensating beam is moved a predetermineddistance.

3. A door controlling system comprising in combination a pivotedcompensating beam, a cable winding drum, an endless cable havingportions engaging said compensating beam, a motor for operating thedrum, doors connected with said cable and arranged to be opened andclosed by the lat ter, a pair of circuit breakers for cutting offcurrent from the motor, and means carried at each end of saidcompensating beam for actuating said circuit breakers when thecompensating beam is moved a predetermined distance.

4. A door controlling system comprising in combination a reversiblepower means, a cable' drum driven by the power means, doors adapted tobe opened and closed, a pivoted bar mounted upon each door, springs forholding said bars under tension,

and an endless cable wound on the drum and connected with each pivotedbar.

5. A door controlling mechanism comprising a pair of doors, a pivotedbar mounted on each door, springs for placing said bars under tension, areversible electric motor, a cable drum driven by said electric m0- tor,an endless cable wound on saiddrum and having connection with thepivoted bars on said doors, and a pivoted compensating beam having aportion of the cable carried thereby. said beam being adapted to move totake up the slack of that portion of. the cable connected with one doorwhen the pivoted bar connected with the other door is moved from itsnormal position against the tension of its spring.

6. A door controlling mechanism comprising a pair of doors, a pivotedbar mounted on each door, springs for placing said bars under tension, areversible electric motor, a cable drum driven by said electric motor,an endless cable wound on said drum and having connection with thepivoted bars on said doors, a pivoted compensating beam having a portionof the cable carried thereby, said beam being adapted to move to take upthe slack of that portion of the cable connected with one door when thepivoted bar connected with the other door is moved from its normalposition against the tension of its spring, and means carried by thecompensating beam for cutting off the current from the motor after apredetermined movement of the beam.

7. A door controlling system comprising an electric motor, a drum, anendless cable wound on said drum, a pair of doors, means connecting saidendless cable with said doors for opening and closing them, mechanicallyactuated means for automatically cutting off the current of the motorwhen the doors have reached their open or their closed position, andmeans for permitting the continued movement of one door when the otherdoor is stopped by an obstruction.

8. A door controlling system comprising an electric motor, a drum, anendless cable wound on said drum, a pair of doors, means connecting saidendless cable with said doors for opening and closing them, means forau-

